Secrets About Gut Health

Have you or a loved one ever experienced a chronic gut health problem or received a diagnosis like celiac disease, leaky gut, IBS, colitis, SIBO, gastritis, or candida? These conditions, while diagnosed frequently, are not yet fully understood by medical communities today. In truth, medical science and research are still very far from knowing the true causes of the symptoms that are given names like leaky gut, candida, and IBS. There are real reasons you or your loved ones are experiencing gut health issues, and here I will be explaining the true cause behind these illnesses and what you can do to heal from them. 

Constipation and Other General Digestive Issues

If someone is experiencing regular constipation, it could be due to a variety of factors, which can cause inflammation in the small intestinal tract and colon. When there is inflammation in the intestines, it weakens peristaltic action, which is the wavelike movement created by your central nervous system that pushes food through your digestive tract. The lining of the intestinal tract is covered in nerve endings, and some of these nerves are directly related to the peristaltic action required for proper digestion. Signals cannot be sent and received in the right way when there is inflammation in the colon, which is what prevents the peristaltic action from occurring. 

It’s important to understand, however, that inflammation is not the cause. There is something else that is causing the inflammation. In the case of constipation, as I share in my book Thyroid Healing, inflammation can come from either a pathogen that’s taken up residence in the intestinal tract or a toxic, stagnant, sluggish, or fatty liver. Pathogens that cause inflammation are the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), E. coli, shingles (there are undiscovered varieties that don’t cause rashes, which I revealed in my book Medical Medium), HHV6, and/or chronic streptococcus. Medical communities are unaware that these are the true causes of constipation. They are also unaware that these pathogens feed on certain foods along with toxins and heavy metals that helps them proliferate. Thus, the best way to combat pathogens like viruses and bacteria is to first starve them of their favorite foods, something I discuss at length in Thyroid Healing. In my book, I share how to combat EBV specifically, but this information can also be applied to help address other types of pathogens as well. 

For example, medical communities believe celiac disease is an autoimmune disease, but this is inaccurate. In truth, your body is incapable of attacking itself. It is impossible for your immune system to harm a single cell in your body. I devoted a whole section of Thyroid Healing to sharing why there is so much misinformation and confusion around autoimmune diseases and conditions and why it’s the wrong answer to mystery illnesses like celiac disease. The true reason gluten is a trigger for celiac disease is because gluten is a favorite food for the bacteria streptococcus. When gluten is consumed, strep is strengthened and the lining of the colon is further inflamed.

When it comes to gut and digestive disorders, it’s also critical to address the health of your liver. The liver plays a central role in gut health issues, more than medical communities know. First of all, the liver acts like a sponge to all the medications you take. Your liver absorbs the medication, which is a natural function because its role is to absorb toxins. However, unlike other toxins the liver is absorbing, medication takes quite a while to leave the body. Therefore, before it finally exits after many years, it can take up residency in your intestinal tract, causing more inflammation and disrupting peristaltic action. 

Other toxins that are stored inside the liver are heavy metals, like chromium, nickel, mercury, aluminum, copper, lead, and arsenic. There are also viral toxins, internal dermatoxins (which I explain in Thyroid Healing and are much different to the known versions of dermatoxins), viral casings (dead bodies of pathogens), pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, rodenticides, radiation, and solvents. Additionally, most people’s livers are loaded down with too much fat from their diet that becomes rancid and coagulates the exhausted organ. As you can probably guess, a healthy liver is vital in order to heal from a gut-related illness. When our liver becomes sluggish due to all the toxins, heavy metals, viruses, bacteria, toxins, and fats, it cannot produce the bile it needs in order to break down the fats that are slowly going rancid. 

Fats and Protein Breakdown

The breaking down of fats and protein is an essential function of the bile from the liver and hydrochloric acid from the stomach. When fats and proteins start to rot in the intestinal tract and colon, it creates a feeding frenzy for the pathogens. Whatever viruses and bacteria are present at the time will feed and grow stronger and more difficult to fight when there is more fat and protein in the intestinal tract, which then inhibits the regular functioning of the digestive system. When we take away the food from the pathogens, the feeding stops and healing can begin. This is why many people on high fat, high protein diets have digestive issues, regardless of whether they eat animal fat or a vegan diet with too many plant fats. When there is too much fat and protein in the system, the liver is so overloaded that the only thing it can do is let the fat and protein go rancid.

As mentioned above, a strong liver is required to break down fats. When our liver is overburdened by excess fat and toxins, it is not able to produce the strong bile that is needed to metabolize them. I will explain below that weakened bile production is the cause of most gut related symptoms and illnesses. The hydrochloric acid (HCL) from the stomach that is required to break down proteins is actually made up of a blend of seven different types of acid, which is unknown in the medical community. This is the reason tests are not able to accurately indicate the hydrochloric acid present in our bodies. Medical communities do not have the full understanding and knowledge they need to make correct assessments. If someone has a blend of the hydrochloric acid but not all seven, they will not be able not to properly break down proteins.

This doesn’t mean you have to avoid protein altogether. There are healthy, bioavailable proteins in fruits, vegetables, and leafy greens. You can also eat some nuts, beans, and animal protein if you wish. Regardless of which diet you prefer, just try to lower your protein if you are wanting to heal from an illness so you can allow your liver to function as well as possible. For example, eat nuts, beans or animal protein once a day or every two days, and instead bring in more fresh fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, root vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and winter squashes.

Colitis

The true cause of colitis is an undiscovered strain of the shingles virus in the linings of the colon and small intestinal tract. Due to this virus, some blood vessels may rupture causing bleeding in addition to the inflammation caused by the pathogen sitting in the lining. Colitis is another gut related illness that is incorrectly considered an autoimmune disease. You can find out more about the true cause of colitis and how to begin healing in my book Medical Medium.

Leaky Gut Syndrome (Intestinal Permeability)

Leaky gut syndrome is one of the most misdiagnosed conditions. The way true leaky gut is created is from a perforation in the lining of the intestinal tract or colon. Most of the time this occurs from a very common procedure - the colonoscopy. In a colonoscopy, a camera is inserted into the colon and pushed along to look inside. Sometimes the camera can snag on the colon and create a puncture, which then causes a fever and severe pain, landing the patient in the hospital for many days or even months. Other times, it’s a case of diverticulosis, where deep pockets in the colon can become infected by E. coli, streptococcus and other bugs. These pockets can break through the lining of the gastrointestinal tract and allow the pathogens to leach into the bloodstream. 

While the above are the only true leaky guts, tens of thousands of people with symptoms like fatigue, aches and pains, digestive discomfort, and acid reflux are being told they also have leaky gut. Using leaky gut as a label for these symptoms is a trend that has resulted in many people being given a misdiagnosis, and as a result, they are unable to move forward with real healing. What’s actually happening is something that medical communities aren’t yet aware of—ammonia permeability. I have helped many clients heal from ammonia permeability over the last few decades and I also brought it to light in my book Medical Medium. 

When someone is diagnosed with leaky gut syndrome, it is usually due to the liver weakening and becoming sluggish. The bile and blend of hydrochloric acid required to break down fat and protein are not strong enough to do their job. When the proteins reach your lower intestine, they won’t be broken down enough for your cells to access their nutrients. And instead the food will just lie there and rot feeding pathogens that are sitting in the colon and intestinal tract. This gut rot creates ammonia gas and can result in symptoms of bloating, digestive discomfort, chronic dehydration, or oftentimes no symptoms at all. That’s just the start. This ammonia gas has a ghost-like ability to go straight through your bones, skin, and out of you. You can read a full description of how gut health symptoms and other symptoms develop from ammonia permeability in Medical Medium. What I have just described is not actually leaky gut syndrome. If someone truly had leaky gut, they would be in the hospital potentially with a high fever. However, ammonia permeability is much more common. 

Candida

These days the word candida can cause fear in people because it is believed to be a negative thing and many are afraid of candida overgrowth. In reality, we need candida. Candida in and of itself is harmless. In fact, we can’t sustain life without it in our intestinal tract, and it helps protect us by consuming debris from poor quality food and toxins. In the process, this helps reduce the food supply available to truly harmful pathogens that would otherwise feed on this debris. It also allows absorption of nutrients into the bloodstream. The overgrowth of candida is not the problem; it is the indication of one. 

Candida can grow and become out of control due to bile salts becoming weak from an overburdened liver. The bile salts are not able to break down fats, the fats go rancid and make a home in the intestinal tract, and the bacteria feed off it. In other words, Candida cells intentionally consume food waste and poisons to prevent harmful bugs, such as E. coli, C. diff, and streptococcus, from feasting on these things and building their armies. The candida is activated to increase its strength because it is programmed to keep you alive. We do not want to kill off candida. We want to kill off the bacteria the candida is trying to fight.

Candida can also co-occur with conditions such as Lyme disease, shingles, Epstein-Barr virus, herpes, diabetes, and more. Thus, a large build-up of Candida can serve as a warning sign that something else in your body requires attention—but Candida is often the scapegoat. For instance, a vaginal streptococcus infection could go unnoticed by doctors, while yeast that’s also present is blamed for the patient’s symptoms. Once you put an end to the primary issue, Candida levels will naturally return to normal. 

IBS

Irritable Bowel Syndrome is the result of a stagnant or sluggish liver along with a bacterial infection. Fats and proteins rot in the intestinal tract, which then causes poor digestion. An underlying streptococcus infection, which medical communities are unaware is the cause of IBS, becomes out of control and the inflamed colon begins to swell. The secum and illiocecal valve become inflamed due to the bacteria along with viral toxins in the intestinal tract, creating diarrhea and constipation. 

Gastritis

It is possible to have gastritis without having a lot of noticeable gas; in fact, it may be difficult to diagnose if you are only experiencing bloating and pain without moving any gas through. Sometimes there is sharp pain due to tiny pockets of gas that are so toxic that they hurt the nerves. There are so many nerves in our intestinal tract that the digestive system is very sensitive to toxins and pockets of gas that can cause pain.

Insatiable Hunger

Many people with insatiable hunger are being told they have either hyperthyroidism or a mental disease. However, there are more people struggling with insatiable hunger than are dealing with hyperthyroidism or any other kind of thyroid problem at all. Insatiable hunger is actually a liver glucose deficiency. If glucose storage in the liver is low, a vicious cycle of constant hunger, binging, and, often, calorie restriction occurs, leaving the person feeling like they are weak and undisciplined. However, this disorder has nothing to with discipline or a weak mind. Rather, it is due to a lack of glycogen, also known as carbohydrates, in the liver. The best way to heal from this is quite simple: eat potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas, dates, apples, mangoes, persimmons, winter squash, and other carbohydrate-rich foods to bring back your glycogen storage. Refrain from eating too many of the foods that your liver is having a difficult time handling, such as fatty foods. Too much fat in the bloodstream prevents glycogen from storing up in the liver. 

Trends to Avoid

There are many trends circulating the health world that attract those who know the importance of having a healthy gut. While many of these trends were initiated with good intentions, people searching for answers to gut health fall into their traps and suffer repercussions. Sodium bicarbonate is one such trend that is touted as having the ability to make us more alkaline and drop candida levels. Unfortunately, this ill-informed remedy is much too harsh on the intestinal tract and liver to be healthy. In fact, sodium bicarbonate kills off the good bacteria that we need, rather than only fighting the antagonistic pathogens we want to eliminate. 

Stay away from diatomaceous earth particles as it is too abrasive for the intestinal linings. It saturates the linings, smothering the good bacteria that exists there, and does not exit quickly. Diatomaceous earth particles can create malabsorption and do not allow candida to do its important job.

Avoid taking clays internally as, again, they are too harsh for the intestines. They are like severe sandpaper scraping the sensitive sides of the colon and small intestine; it rubs against it and does not clean it, as many believe. And when we eat, the food creates even more pressure as the clay is pushed into the linings more. Some people may question this understanding of clay consumption, referring to many creatures in the animal kingdom that are able to eat clay with no negative effects. However, your intestines are not built like a deer’s. A deer can eat many things that we cannot eat, like twigs, toxic leaves, and pieces of tree that have poisonous alkaloids that would severely harm us if we were to consume them. Therefore, refrain from making conclusions that because one animal can eat clay, we should be able to as well.

Be careful with liver flushes and gallbladder flushes, which are very trendy, because our body does not like to be pushed in that way. They are best avoided. Instead, find consistent healthy habits you know you can sustain long term so you can find yourself at your destination of a truly happy gut with no chance of going back. You can refer to the Thyroid Rehab plan in my book Thyroid Healing and the 28 Day Cleanse in my book Medical Medium for ways to intelligently cleanse your body. These plans can be followed long term also.

Steps for Healing

Celery juice is the first thing I always recommend to people when they have gut issues. It contains undiscovered mineral salts that build up hydrochloric acid, making it a powerful tonic that should be included into your daily morning routine on an empty stomach. Find out how to make it on the blog. Celery juice makes your liver stronger, which, as you now know, is behind so many gut health symptoms. If you do not like celery on its own, you can add a bit of apple and lemon to it but it’s most effective on its own. Drinking at least 4 ounces of celery juice daily, and ideally 16 ounces per day, heals the linings of your intestines, soothes nerves, eliminates poisons from the liver, and makes you less sensitive in your digestion process. Additionally, you can include plain cucumber juice daily. 

It’s best to stay away from eggs if you have a gut health issue or any health symptoms as they feed the very pathogens that you are trying to eliminate. Eggs, while often considered a perfect food by many, are a favorite food for viruses and bacteria. They create feeding frenzies and inflammation in the colon and intestines. 

One reason many people with gut problems consume eggs is because they feel it is one of the only things they can digest. However, there is something different going on when eating eggs compared to eating something like lettuce. When something you eat is painful, either slightly or more so, it does not mean you are not digesting it; it means it is hitting sensitive nerves as it is being digested. If your intestine is full of neurotoxins and inflammation, the nerves are primed and hot. Additionally, if you have Epstein-Barr Virus inside the liver or in the thyroid, it feeds off of pollutants, solvents, and toxins. Those poisons and toxins are released into your bloodstream then into the linings of the intestinal tract, making the nerves extremely sensitive. This is why when you eat something with fiber like celery, lettuce, cauliflower, or berries, it feels like you are not digesting it, when actually it is merely hitting the sensitive nerves as it is digesting. When you eat an egg, you feel like you digest it well because eggs do not touch the intestinal linings. They sit in the middle like a glue, not triggering any sensitive nerves, but they cause further health problems and will worsen your symptoms in time. 

You are able to digest fibrous foods. It just may feel a little uncomfortable when you eat them if your nerves are very sensitive. If it is too painful, try instead to eat things like avocado, ripe bananas, winter squash, steamed potatoes, and other steamed vegetables that are cooked so much that they are very soft. 

It’s also best to avoid all dairy products, as these also feed pathogens. Avoid milk, cheese, yogurt, and kefir, no matter if it came from a cow, goat, or any other kind of animal. 

Fruit for Gut Health

There is a common trend that suggests fruit should be avoided if you have a gut problem. Fruit should actually be a food you enjoy in abundance when trying to heal from colitis, gastritis, IBS, SIBO, celiac disease, candida overgrowth, or leaky gut. Try making fruit the first food of your day, right after your daily celery juice. Also, eating fruit on its own is the best way to easily digest it and you may find you can consume more fruit when eaten this way. For breakfast, make yourself a large fruit platter of various fruits, like berries, a variety of stone fruit, or some tropical fruit if you have access to that. If you’re just eating fruit, you can consume a large amount of one kind of fruit in one sitting. Eat two or three ripe bananas, a half to one cantaloupes, two to four persimmons, a large handful of dates, or a big bowl of sliced oranges. Graze on grapes throughout the morning. Make yourself a smoothie for breakfast. Eating your fruit in the morning and then bringing other types of foods you eat later in the day will ensure better digestion.

Banana and papaya are two of the most important foods to eat when dealing with gut issues. I have seen people recover from the most tragic health problems from eating banana and papaya, as they are among the greatest foods to heal the intestinal tract. Consider blending banana and papaya together with a little water for a restorative tonic. Blending celery juice with papaya is also one of the best tonics for gut health issues.

If you still feel you are quite sensitive to fruit, just focus on getting a little bit in you every single day. Then you can slowly increase the amount of fruit you include as you begin to heal. You can also focus on bringing in more fruits like winter squashes, tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers. Also, consider the possibility that fruit is not the culprit for your digestive issues, inflammation, or poor health. Sometimes we have indigestion or intestinal pain when we eat one thing, but it is in fact caused by something that we ate several days before. The fruit, like an innocent person accused of a crime, is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Perhaps you ate something a couple days before; then you take a bite of fruit, which then triggers peristaltic action and moves the previous piece of food down lower in your intestines to an area that is inflamed. The unhealthy foods we know we should avoid actually take very long to digest, which is why sometimes it can remain in our colon and intestines for days after consumption. Fruit, on the other hand, digests very quickly and efficiently. Therefore, do not blame the apple for any indigestion you may experience and remember that fruit is your greatest friend when healing from gut issues.

Probiotics

Many people these days buy expensive probiotics because they heard they are good for gut health. Probiotics are not unhelpful. There are some probiotic supplements that I recommend to those who are interested. However, there is a much more important biotic that most people are unaware of, and it is vastly less expensive and more down to earth. Elevated biotics are microscopic, life-giving organisms that cover the above-ground surfaces (leaves and skins) of raw, unwashed (or lightly rinsed) organic produce. The elevated biotics’ probiotic film can make a world of difference when it comes to digestion. Unlike factory-produced probiotics and soilborne organisms, elevated biotics are able to survive your digestive process and make it to your ileum, the final section of your small intestinal tract that creates the vitamin B12 critical to your body’s functioning. You can read more about Elevated biotics in my book Life-Changing Foods. 

If you want to take part in this amazing gut saver, you have plenty of options. First, get yourself to a farmers market near you and introduce yourself to the farmers. Begin asking about their growing practices and see which farmers take the most care in their organic farming. Remember, many small farms cannot afford to label themselves organic, but their practices might be even better than the organic standards of the USDA. The more produce you buy from these farms, as well as certified organic farmers from your market, the better. Not only are you supporting local farmers who are working hard to produce quality food for their communities, you also get to take advantage of the powerful elevated biotics that sit on the leaf of the kale, on the skin of the apple, and on the fuzz of the peach. When you buy, for example, an apple from a trusted organic farmer, there is no need to scrub that apple clean, otherwise you would wash off all the elevated biotics. However, if there is a bit of soil on it, feel free to give it a light rinse or rub it off with your fingers.

Your other option to find ways to get elevated biotics in your system is to grow some of your own food. I know it can feel intimidating if you are not an experienced gardener. However, there are many simple things you can grow, even if you do not know what you are doing or if you have no backyard. Grow sprouts on your counter. They take one minute a day to manage and the outcome is an entire tray full of delicious sprouts you can put in your salad or even in your smoothie. Herbs are often very easy to grow on your windowsill. Basil, rosemary, thyme, and oregano only take minimal space, and they can double as pretty houseplants. If you do want to put in the extra effort to set up some raised plant beds in an outdoor space available to you, you will receive many benefits from growing some of your own food. Furthermore, you will probably grow a greater appreciation for the nurturing required to grow fruits and vegetables.

Moving Forward

If you have a chronic digestive disorder, or even if you just have so-so digestion that you know can be improved, I am sure it is important to you to get your digestive health back. Constipation, bloating, and diarrhea are painful and disruptive to our day-to-day lives, which is why I hope you can take the information you learned today and begin to move forward. Remember that the first step to finding true healing in great digestion is to know that your body is working for you; you just have to give it the right tools to fight the pathogens, strengthen the bile in the liver, and restore hydrochloric acid. Working on your gut health is a process of consistent daily habits. Healing is a long term process, not an overnight one. With this in mind, we can begin to take at least one step a day we know is bringing us closer to healthy digestion. 

Learn more about how to restore your liver and gut health in the NY Times best-selling book Liver Rescue

This item posted: 09-Dec-2017

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